Scientists: Apes Get Middle-Aged Sads Too

EVOLUTIONARY MOTIVATOR?

Credit: National Geographic

Scientists: Apes Get Middle-Aged Sads Too

By Elizabeth C.

HOMO SAPIENS AREN’T THE ONLY ANIMALS TO SUFFER MID-LIFE CRISES: A NEW STUDY concludes that chimps and orangutans do, too, minus access to the Corvette dealership.
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland asked caretakers of more than 500 chimps and orangutans in five countries to fill out detailed questionnaires for each animal in their care. Questions were about the primates’ general well-being, overall mood, enjoyment of social interactions and success at achieving goals (such as achieving desired item or geography within their confines.)

Results were then graphed and found to mimic overall happiness trends in human, according to primate psychologist Alexander Weiss.

“When you look at worldwide data, you see this U-shape,” says National Geographic Fellow Dan Buettner, author of Thrive: Finding Happiness the Blue Zones Way. “It’s different for every country, but it’s usually somewhere between age 45 and 55 that you hit the bottom of the curve, and it continues to go up with age. You see centenarians in good health reporting higher well-being than teenagers.”

Not surprisingly, Weiss argues that middle-aged malaise may have an evolutionary benefit.

“It may feel lousy, but your brain could be tricking you into improving your circumstances and situation, signaling you to get up and really start pushing while you’re absolutely at your prime,” he said. “And I think that’s a really powerful and positive message.”